Growing Elderly Population in Australia

Discuss about the Policy on the Relocation of the Elderly Persons into the Residential Accommodation.

The document recognizes that aged-care is an issue of concern in the country. According to the latest statistics, in 2016, 3.7 million (13%) of the Australian population is composed of the elderly persons above the age of 65 years.  2.1 million (57%) of this population falls in the age bracket of 65 and 74 years. also, 1.1 million (33%) of this population is made up of the elderly persons whose age is between 75 and 84 years. the remaining 487,000 (13%) are over 84 years. according to the projections, the number of elderly persons in the country will double by 2059. This is a clear justification that the elderly care is an issue that is gaining seriousness in the society (Chrisopoulos, Harford & Ellershaw 2016).

Ordinarily, the aged, just like the rest of the Australian population should live and enjoy their stay at home in the company of their loved ones. However, this has not become possible because of the myriad of challenges that they face (Bemt, Schrieck?de Loos, Linden, Theeuwes & Pol 2013). Because of this, the elderly persons have no choice, but to seek for accommodation at the aged-care centers. This document therefore, aims at coming up with a policy guideline to the matters related to aged-care. It provides a roadmap for the procedures and standards that should be followed by the aged-care service providers (Chrisopoulos, Harford & Ellershaw 2016). If everything is done as per the expectations, the elderly persons cannot only enjoy their advanced age, but lead a healthy life and die with dignity when the opportune time comes.

The government of Australia acknowledges that it has large chunk of the elderly persons whose welfare should not be taken for granted. Over the years, the government has been demonstrating its commitments to supporting its elderly population. One of the ways of achieving this objective is to come up with a policy framework to provide a comprehensive guideline on the way the elderly persons should be supported (Xiao, Shen & Paterson 2013).

Currently, there are pro-elderly policies which provide adequate guidance on the way the elderly persons should be supported and fused as part of the society. The current policy is aimed at protecting the elderly persons from the dangers that they face while leaving in the society.  The policy is flexible because it gives room for the elderly persons to either stay at their respective homes or get admission at the accommodation residential facilities in which they can be cared for by the experts (Hanson 2014). At these facilities, the elderly persons are given accommodation and any other physical, emotional and social support that they need. The policy cares for the elderly because it considers it as critical stage in human life where the people should be given the support that they deserve. However, the current policy is not effective because it does not address all the challenges faced by the elderly persons especially those supported at the accommodation facilities (Xiao, Shen & Paterson 2013). If the policies effectively address all these issues, the elderly persons would not express their concerns and complain of the poor services that they get from such facilities.   

Challenges Faced by the Elderly

To outline the process for the admission and accommodation of the older people in the residential accommodation facilities in Australia

Aims

• All the male persons aged 65 years and above are eligible for admission into a residential accommodation facility
• All the female persons aged 65 years and above are eligible for admission into a residential accommodation facility
• All the elderly persons who are seeking for admission to the residential accommodation facilities should be allowed to do so
• Admission to the residential accommodation facilities should be voluntary and not forced on anyone whatsoever
• Enough residential accommodation facilities should be established in every town across the country to create room for the accommodation of many elderly persons who are looking for such services
• The elderly persons should be provided with accommodation and given a conducive environment to live without any unnecessary hiccups
• The elderly persons who are admitted to the accommodation residential facilities should be given the healthcare services that they deserve at all times
• The elderly persons admitted to the residential accommodation facilities should be entitled to support services such as mobility
• The government should involved in the accommodation of the elderly by subsidizing or fully-sponsoring the construction and running of residential accommodation facilities across the country
• All residential accommodation facilities should be provided with enough staff to manage all the activities as expected. All the workers should be well-trained and equipped with the requisite skills to handle the elderly well.
• All the elderly persons who are accommodated at the residential accommodation facilities should be respected and provided with culturally-competent care and support that they deserve at all times
• All the residential accommodation facilities that admit the elderly persons should provide enough balanced diet and healthy food to the elderly
• All the residential accommodation facilities should involve the elderly in the making of major decisions that affect their lives as long as they are legible top do so (Silvester, Fullam, Parslow, Lewis, Sjanta, Jackson & Gilchrist 2012).
• All the residential accommodation facilities that admit the elderly must create enough space for the visitation and involvement of the family members, relatives and friends. No one should be obstructed from becoming part of the elderly persons
• All the residential facilities should be ready to provide palliative care to the elderly persons whenever necessary

Target Audience

All the residential accommodation facility management, social workers, clinicians, physicians, counselors, and palliative care personnel

Responsibilities

All the residential accommodation facility management, social workers, clinicians, physicians, counselors, and palliative care personnel are responsible for the implementation of this policy. It is the responsibility of all these stakeholders to ensure that the elderly persons are given a dignified accommodation and provided with all the psychological, physical, social, and spiritual support that they deserve as worthy senior statesmen (Peden & Grocott 2014).

The Elderly

The elderly are the people who, as their name suggests, have lived for quite a long time and have become elders in the society. In terms of age, the elderly persons should start from the age of 65 years. Elderly is, therefore, a class composed of people who have advanced age. The major characteristic of the elderly is that they are people who cannot live and survive on their own because they have lost their autonomy. With their advanced age, these people cannot engage in any active work (Lindqvist, Seleskog, Wårdh & Bültzingslöwen 2013). Once they hit this age bracket, the elderly retire from work and start living without working unless they are still active enough to engage in business activities or light duties. At the same time, the elderly persons are vulnerable to several diseases that might hinder them from discharging daily activities such as movement, eating, and communication. That is why they cannot survive on their own without being assisted by other people. 

The Plight of the Elderly

Many people wish to live longer, but not to pass through the elderly stage. This happens because of the belief that elderly is a very challenging stage in the process of human growth and development. In his theory of psychosocial stages of human growth and development, Erick Erikson said that the elderly stage gives the elders an opportunity to reflect their past with integrity or despair (Ericson?Lidman, Norberg, Persson & Strandberg 2013). That clearly demonstrates that it is a stage that not everyone enjoys because it comes with a myriad of challenges.

The elderly persons are confronted with health challenges. The advanced age makes these people to be susceptible to a wide range of diseases such as diabetes, cancer, obesity, heart attack, stroke, and many others. In most cases, the elderly persons suffer multiple ailments at a go. Such an experience can be disturbing because it robs these people of a blissful life that they should enjoy at this time (Westermann, Kozak, Harling & Nienhaus 2014). The worst thing, however, is that, such illness affect these people at a time when they are not strong enough to support themselves. The end result is that they must rely on other people for support since they lack a capacity to depend on their own (Tan, O’connor, Howard, Workman & O’connor 2013) However, it is unfortunate that the people who should be supporting them do not do so because they view the elderly as bothersome people whose sole purpose in life is deny others a peace of mind.

Current Policy on Aged Care in Australia

The elderly persons also face a problem of loneliness. Since they have advanced age, the elderly persons are detached from normal life because they can no longer work and associate with many people (Xiao, Wang, De Bellis, Verbeeck & Kyriazopoulos 2014). Their family members who should be close to them, at times, tend to isolate them because of the feeling that they are bothersome and demand a lot of support at all times. This can be disastrous to the elderly because it makes them to have no choice, but to live in solitude. Loneliness is bad because it increases the chances of contracting psychological disorders like depression and trauma.

The elderly persons also face a problem of financial dependence. As already hinted, such an advanced age renders the elderly incapable of engaging in serious economic activities. If one did not work hard and accumulated some savings or investments, it might not be easy to cope up with life because of lack of enough money to use to sustain their lifestyles (Osborn, Moulds, Squires, Doty & Anderson 2014). The situation has been worsened by the increased costs of living and lack of support from the relatives who should be responsible for caring for such vulnerable members of the society. Without money or support from those close to them, the elderly persons might not live well because of lack of the basic necessities like food, shelter and clothing (Morris, Adair, Miller, Ozanne, Hansen, Pearce, Santamaria, Viega, Long & Said 2013).     

The elderly persons are also prone to abuse by the people who surround them. Research has established that the elderly are susceptible to abuse because they are defenseless and cannot do anything about it. The conditions of the elderly have rendered them defenseless to the psychological, physical, and economic abuses from the rest of the members of the society. The elderly suffer physical abuse when they are beaten, intimidated or harassed by the people who live around them (Brown, Grbich, Maddocks, Parker & Willis 2005). Some elderly women can also be raped by the men who take advantage of their situation to harass and abuse them sexually. Economic abuse takes place when the elderly persons are exploited by the people who have access to their finances. Financial exploitation can occur through robbery, theft, and conning because these are strategies that can be applied to prey on them. Lastly, psychological abuse can take place if the elderly persons are emotionally disturbed through neglect or intimidation (Venturato, Kellett & Windsor 2007). Such practices can result into emotional distress.

The Need for a Comprehensive Policy Guideline

A residential accommodation is a special facility in which the elderly persons live. These facilities are exclusively designed, constructed, and equipped with the necessary personnel and equipments to help in creating an accommodative environment for the elderly persons. Australia has a number of such facilities because they play a significant role in promoting the welfare of the elderly persons (Productivity Commission 2005).

The first reason why there should be residential accommodation facilities in the country is that they provide medical support to the elderly. It is only in such facilities where there are trained personnel who have a sound knowledge of illnesses like osteoporosis, muscular degeneration, cataracts, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, and hard attack. These are seriously-complicated medical issues which require a lot of attention from the experts (Jalal, Kamal & Kim 2014). Secondly, the residential accommodation facilities offer physical support to the elderly persons (Kachouie, Sedighadeli, Khosla & Chu 2014). It is here where there are specialists who are competent enough to solve all the physical, psychological, medical, and social challenges facing the elderly persons who cannot fit into the community because there is no one to care for them. It will be responsible for providing support to the clients and assist them to move around, eat, socialize, and lead a meaningful life until death

• Aged Care Act 1997
• Aged Care (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997
• Aged Care (Accommodation Payment Security) Act 2006
• Aged Care (Accommodation Payment Security) Levy Act 2006
• Australian Aged Care Quality Agency Act 2013
• Australian Aged Care Quality Agency (Transitional Provisions) Act 2013.

Revision & Approval History

Date	Revision No.	Author and Approval
2013	RN 1/2013	………..

Action Plan

Task	Resources	Time Frame
Planning	All the stakeholders	1 month
Mobilization	All the stakeholders	1 month
Public Promotion Campaign	All the stakeholders including the members of the public	6 months
Evaluation	All the stakeholders	1 month

 

References

Bemt, P.M., Schrieck?de Loos, E.M., Linden, C., Theeuwes, A.M. & Pol, A.G., 2013. Effect of medication reconciliation on unintentional medication discrepancies in acute hospital admissions of elderly adults: a multicenter study. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 61(8), pp.1262-1268.

Brown, M., Grbich, C., Maddocks, I., Parker, D., & Willis, E. 2005. Documenting end of life decisions in residential aged care facilities in South Australia. Australian and New Zealand journal of public health, 29(1), 85-90.

Chrisopoulos, S., Harford, J.E. & Ellershaw, A., 2016. Oral health and dental care in Australia: key facts and figures 2015. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Ericson?Lidman, E., Norberg, A., Persson, B. & Strandberg, G., 2013. Healthcare personnel’s experiences of situations in municipal elderly care that generate troubled conscience.

Scandinavian journal of caring sciences, 27(2), pp.215-223.

Hanson, R.M., 2014. ‘Is elderly care affected by nurse attitudes?’A systematic review. British Journal of Nursing, 23(4), pp.225-229.

Hubbard, R.E., Peel, N.M., Scott, I.A., Martin, J.H., Smith, A., Pillans, P.I., Poudel, A. & Gray, L.C., 2015. Polypharmacy among inpatients aged 70 years or older in Australia. The Medical Journal of Australia, 202(7), pp.373-377.

Residential Accommodation Facilities for the Elderly

Jalal, A., Kamal, S. & Kim, D., 2014. A depth video sensor-based life-logging human activity recognition system for elderly care in smart indoor environments. Sensors, 14(7), pp.11735-11759.

Kachouie, R., Sedighadeli, S., Khosla, R. & Chu, M.T., 2014. Socially assistive robots in elderly care: a mixed-method systematic literature review. International Journal of Human- Computer Interaction, 30(5), pp.369-393.

Lindqvist, L., Seleskog, B., Wårdh, I. & Bültzingslöwen, I., 2013. Oral care perspectives of professionals in nursing homes for the elderly. International journal of dental hygiene, 11(4), pp.298-305.

Mahieu, L. & Gastmans, C., 2015. Older residents’ perspectives on aged sexuality in institutionalized elderly care: a systematic literature review. International journal of nursing studies, 52(12), pp.1891-1905.

 Morris, M.E., Adair, B., Miller, K., Ozanne, E., Hansen, R., Pearce, A.J., Santamaria, N., Viega, L., Long, M. & Said, C.M., 2013. Smart-home technologies to assist older people to live well at home. Journal of aging science, 1(1), pp.1-9.

Osborn, R., Moulds, D., Squires, D., Doty, M.M. & Anderson, C., 2014. International survey of older adults finds shortcomings in access, coordination, and patient-centered care. Health Affairs, 33(12), pp.2247-2255.

Peden, C.J. & Grocott, M.P.W., 2014. National Research Strategies: what outcomes are important in peri?operative elderly care?. Anaesthesia, 69(s1), pp.61-69.

Productivity Commission. 2005. Economic implications of an ageing Australia. Productivity Commission, Government of Australia Research Reports.

Silvester, W., Fullam, R. S., Parslow, R. A., Lewis, V. J., Sjanta, R., Jackson, L., … & Gilchrist, 2012. Quality of advance care planning policy and practice in residential aged care facilities in Australia. BMJ supportive & palliative care, bmjspcare-2012.

Tan, H.M., O’connor, M.M., Howard, T., Workman, B. & O’connor, D.W., 2013. Responding to the death of a resident in aged care facilities: Perspectives of staff and residents. Geriatric Nursing, 34(1), pp.41-46.

Venturato, L., Kellett, U., & Windsor, C. 2007. Nurses’ experiences of practice and political reform in long?term aged care in Australia: implications for the retention of nursing personnel. Journal of Nursing Management, 15(1), 4-11.

Westermann, C., Kozak, A., Harling, M. & Nienhaus, A., 2014. Burnout intervention studies for inpatient elderly care nursing staff: systematic literature review. International journal of nursing studies, 51(1), pp.63-71.

Xiao, L.D., Shen, J. & Paterson, J., 2013. Cross-cultural comparison of attitudes and preferences for care of the elderly among Australian and Chinese nursing students. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 24(4), pp.408-416.

Xiao, L.D., Wang, J., He, G.P., De Bellis, A., Verbeeck, J. & Kyriazopoulos, H., 2014. Family caregiver challenges in dementia care in Australia and China: a critical perspective. BMC geriatrics, 14(1), p.6.